Two-row wheel-cultivator.



N0. 627,986. Patented July 4, I899.

J. H. DEMPSTER.

TWO ROW WHEEL CULTIVATUR.

3 Sheet5 Sheet 1 1 e/vkm 'vw THE NORRIS PUERS CO PHOTO-L YHU WkSNINGTON O C Patented July 4, I899.

J. H. DEMPSTER.

TWO ROW WHEEL CULTIVATOR.

(Application filed Oct. 5, 1897.)

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co. mumumov. wnsum No. 627,986. Patentad July 4, I899.

J. H. DEMPSTER. TWO ROW WHEEL CULTIVATOB.

(Application filed Oct. 5, 1897.)

3 Sheets-8heet 3 (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE;

JAMES H. DEMPSTER, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

TWO-ROW WHEEL-CU LTIVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 627,986, dated July 4, 1899.

Application filed October 5, 1897. Se ial 6 54,197 (No model-l To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES H. DEMPSTER, a citizenof the United States of America, and a resident of DesMoines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Two-Row Wheel-Oultivator, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means for cultivating 'orplowing two rows of corn simultaneously.

A further object of this invention is to provide means whereby the operator of the machine may ride thereon and steer or guide the supportingwheels thereof relative to the corn-rows independent of the positions of the draft-animals or motive power.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for swiveling the supportingwheels to the frame of the machine and connecting said wheels with a steering mechanism, whereby the line of advancement of the machine may be manually determined and controlled.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved means for pivoting or hinging the plow-beams to the frame of the machine.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for suspending the plow-beams relative to the frame of the machine and auxiliary to the pivoting or hinging thereof, whereby said beams may be oscillated laterally by foot-power of the operator and raised and lowered by hand-power and, further, suspended at given and predetermined altitudes to regulate the depth of cultivation of the soil.

' A further object of this invention is to provide means for regulating the spacing apart of the cultivator-beams.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved means for attaching three horses or other draft-animals abreast to the forward ends of the thills of the machine.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for locking the supporting-Wheels to predetermine the line of advancement of the machine.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for connecting the shovels to the cultivator-beams, whereby said shovels may yield and turn backwardly under the impact of forcible resistance, and thereby preserve the shovels from breakage and damage.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and'illustrated by the accompanying 5 is a sectional plan of the swivel connection of the cultivator beam and frame on the in dicated line 5 5 ofFig. 6. Fig. 6 is a detail elevation, partly in section, of the swivel connection between the cultivator beam and frame. Fig. 7 is aside elevation illustrating the means of connecting the cultivator shovels and beam. Fig. Sis an elevation illustrating the mounting of a stirrup on the cultivator-beam. Figs. 9 and 10 are detail plan and elevation of the lifting-levers, the dotted lines indicating movements thereof.

In the construction of themachine as shown the numeral 10 designates the axle-beam; ll, 12, 13, and 14:, the stay-bars; 15, the front end beam, and 16 17 the thills of the frame. The axle-beam and the front end beam are connected by the stay-bars in parallel planes, and the thills traverse the front end beam and are fixed to the stay-bars 12 13. The

rear end portions of the stay-bars are formed with ten ons traversing mortises in the axlebeam.

A neck-yoke 18 is detachably connected to the forward ends of the thills 1617 and projects at each end beyond said thills and is provided with rings 19 on its end portions,

. whereby the outer individuals of three horses abreast may be attached, the inner horse of the'three being located between the thills.

Brackets 2O 21 are fixed to and project longitudinally from the lower faces of the end portions of the axle-beam 10, and bearingapertures are formed in the outer end portions of said brackets, the axes of which apertures are in vertical planes. Hubs 2223 are provided and formed with journals 24 25 on their end port-ions, which journals are mounted in the bearing -apertures of the brackets 21 and in bearingapertiires formed in the outer projecting end portions of bearing-plates 26 27. The bearing-plates 26 27 are fixed to and project longitudinally from the upper faces of the end portions of the axle-beam 10. Stub-axles 28 29 are fixed to and project horizontally from the hubs 22 23, and supporting-wheels 30 31 are mounted for rotation on saidstub-axles and secured thereon by linchpins.. Crank-arms 32 33 are fixed toand project forwardly from the hubs 22 23 at right angles to the stub-axles 28 29, and the outer end portions of said crankarms are connected by rods 34 35, pivoted theretoand themselves connected at their inner ends by a T 36 at or about the center of the axle-beam. The lateral branch ofthe T 36 extends rearwardly toward the axle-beam 10, and an arm 37 is mounted therein. An angle-plate 38 is mounted on the central portion' of the axle-beam 10 at the rear of the T 36, and ears 39 40 are formed on and project horizontally rearwardly from said angleplate, which ears 'are vertically apertured. A steering-stem 41 is mounted for-rotation in the apertures of the cars 39 40, and a crankarm 42, formed on and forwardly extending from the lower end of the steering-stem, is pivotally connect-ed at its forward end to the rear end of the arm 37. A segment-rib 43 is formed on the upper face of the angle-plate 38 concentric with the axis of the steeringstem 41, and an upwardly-opening notch is formed in the center of the segment-rib. An arm 44 is fixed to the steering-stem 41 parallel and in vertical alinement with the crankarm 42. The arm 44 is longitudinally slotted, and a latch or detent 45 is located in said slot and pivoted to the arm. The latch 45 is provided with an integral lug 46 on its lower face arranged and so shaped as to engage at times in the notch in the segment-web 43. A T 47 is mounted on the upper end of the steering-stem 41, and handle-bars 48 49 are mounted in said T and curve outwardly and rearwardly therefrom. The handle-bars are provided with grips 50 on their extremities, whereby said bars may be manually grasped to rotate the steering-stem. A bracket 51 is formed on and extends forwardly from the T 47 and a pin52 is seated in said bracket and T. A grooved pulley 53 is pivotedon the pin 52, and a chain 54 is attached at its lower end to the latch 45, extends upwardly and rearwardly through the pulley, and is attached at its rear upper end to one arm of a bell-crank 55, fulcrumed on the handle-bar 49,. the other arm of said bell-crank extending along and below the grip 5O thereon.

Whiffietrees 56,arrangedin a common manner for three horses abreast, are attached to the thills or the front portion of the frame.

A seat-frame 57 ,of bifurcated or yoke form, is pivoted at its forward ends to the stay-bars l2 l3, and a seat 58 is mounted on the rear ends of'saidframe, the central portion of the frame resting on the upper face of the central portion of the axle-beam and straddling the steering-stem.

Cultivator-beams 59, 60, 61, and 62, four in number, are of like construction and are constructed and mounted as follows: The beam 62, Figs. 5 and 6,is provided with hinge-plates 63 64 of like shape, arranged opposite to each other and mutually connected to the forward end portion of the beam by bolts 65 66 and formed with meeting apexed flanges 67 68 in front of the beam. The forward end portions of the plates 63 64 are broadened,and forward of the centers thereof are horizontally apertured for the reception of a bolt 69. A grooved pulley 7 O is pivoted on the bolt 69, and a metal tube 71 is positioned vertically between the apices of the flanges67 68 and the grooved periphery of the pulley and in contact therewith. The tube 71 is seated at its upper end in a socket formed in the lower face of a bracket 72, bolted to the front end beam 15 and extended under the stay-bar 14. The central portion of the tube 71 traverses an eye on the lower end of a brace 73, and a collar 74 is fixed to the tube immediately beneath the said eye. The upper rear end of the brace 73 is bolted to the stay-bar 14. A bolt 75 is vertically positioned in and traverses the stay bar 14, an aperture in the bracket 72 concentric with the socket therein, the tube 71, and has a washer 76 and bindingnut 77 mounted on its lower end, the washer having a shoulder fitting within the lower end of thetube. The bolt 75, with its washer and nuts, serves rigidly to connect the tube to the bracket 72, and the Washer extends beyond the periphery of the tube sufficiently to form a seat for the broadened circular portions 63 64 of the hinge-plates,the said portions of the plates bearing against the lower face of the collar 74 at points diametrically opposite the washer. A retractile coil-spring 78 is vertically positioned and fixed at its opposite ends to the beam 62 and the stay-bar 14. Like parts or members to those just described are provided for each of the cultivator-beams.

In addition to the springs 78, connecting the beams to the stay-bars, said beams are attached to the frame by chains 79, 80, 81, and 82, which, chains are secured at their upper ends adjustably on hooks 83, seated in the tenons of the stay-bars, and are fastened at their lower ends to the cultivator-beams. The chains 79, 80, 81, and 82 are so arranged on the hooks 83 as that equal portions of said chains depend from said hooks, and by shortening or lengthening the depending portions the relative plane of the beams to the surface of the soil may be regulated and determined, thereby determining the depth of cultivation of the soil, since the cultivating-shovels are attached to the beams as about to be described.

Eyebolts 84 85 are mounted in and project upwardly from the central portions of the cul- IIO.

6219a; I I v s tivato'r-beams 59 60, and hangers 86 87 are pivotally connected at their lower ends to the eyes thereof. The hangers are curved upwardly and toward each other,cross each other, are pivoted together at the point of crossing, and are thencurved in the opposite directions at their upper ends to form hooks that overlap at their extremities. The upper extremities or hooks of the hangers 86 87 are pierced. by a plurality of apertures arranged and shaped to receive a hook 88 and a bolt The bolt serves to rigidly connect the hangers and determine the spread of the lower extremities thereof,: and consequently the spacingapart of the cultivator-beams 59 60,.

and such spread may be altered or changed by changing the position of the bolt into another pair of the apertures. The hook 88 is secured to the lower end of a chain 90, and the bight of said chain is rove through a pulley 91, pivotally mounted in a bracket 92. The foot of the bracket 92 rests on and is secured to the upper face of the axle-beam 10, and

the extremity of the bracketopposite to the foot is secured to the upper end of a rack bar 93. The rack-bar 93 is provided with a foot resting on and secured to the upper face of the axle-beam between the bracket 92 and the hub 22, and said rack-bar inclines slightly toward the bracket. A lever-91 is'fulcrumed at its forwardend on a spring-piate95, bolted rigidly to the stay-bar 11, and the rear end of said lever is adjacent to the'seat 58. )A wedge 96 is interposed between the spring-plate and stay-bar and serves to incline the lever toward the seat and out of a plane parallel with the stay-bar, and the spring-plate is so arranged relative 'tothe inner face of said wedgeas to exert a torsional strain or resilience that contacts the body-portion of the lever with' the inner face of the rack-bar 93 and causes a hook 97 on said lever to engage one or another of the apertures of the rack-bar. The end of the chain 90 opposite to the hook 88 is attached to a hook 98, seated in the central portion of the lever 94.

A stirrup is provided on the cultivator-beam and comprises a bolt 99, traversing the beam'and held by a nut 100, which bolt is provided on its upper end with a loop or eye 101, of elliptical form, having its longest diameter in a horizontal plane.

place as may be most conveniently reached for the insertion therein of the left foot of the.

' pivotally connected at their'lower ends to the eyes thereof. The hangers are of the same construction as the hangers 86 87, are curved The stirrup is. located adjacent to the hanger 87 or at such upwardlyand toward'each other, cross each other, are pivoted together at the point of crossing, and are then curved in the opposite directions at their upper ends to form books that overlap at their extremities.

lower extremities thereof, and consequently the spacing apart of the cultivator-beams 61 62, and suchspread may be changed or ad-. 1

justed by altering the position of the bolt into another pair of the apertures. The hook 106 is secured to thelower end of a chain 107, and the I bight of said chain is rovethrough a pulley 108, 'pivotally mounted in a'bracket 109.

of the bracket'109 rests on and issecured to the upper face of the axle-beam 10, and the extremity of the bracket opposite to the foot is secured to the upper end of a rack-bar 110. The rack-bar110 is providedwith a footrestin g on and secured tothe upper'face'of the axlebeam 10 between the bracket 109 and the hub I 23, and said rack-bar inclines slightly toward the bracket. A lever 111 is fulcruined at its forward end on a spring-plate 112, bolted rigidly to the stay-bar 14, and the rear end of The foot relative tothe inner face of said wedge as to v exert a torsional strain or resilience that contacts the body portion of the lever With-the inner face of the rack-bar 110 and causes a I hook (not shown) on said lever to engage one or another of the apertures of the rack-bar. The end of the chain 107 opposite to the hook 106 is attached to a hook 114, seated in the central portion of the lever 111.

A stirrup 115 is provided on the cultivatorbeam 61 and is of the same construction as the stirrup on the beam 60. I

Each of the cultivator-beams is provided with two shovels 116, carried by stems 117,

one shovel on either side of the beam, which stems are mounted as follows An eyebolt 118 is provided for each stem, and said stem traverses the eye of the bolt, while the bolt traverses the cultivator-beam in a horizontal plane and is secured against longitudinal movement 1 by a nut 119. The eyebolt also traverses an aperture formed in the end portion of a detent-plate 120, positioned parallel and in contact with one of the side faces of the beam. The detenteplate is cast with a depression or groove in its outer face to receive the stem 117 and prevent oscillation ofthe stem relative to the beam independently of the plate.

The forward end of the detent-plate is attenuated or pointed and normally engages in a notch 121 in a washer 122, which washer is positioned in contact with the beam and held in frictional engagement therewith by a bolt 123, traversing the beam and washer, and adjusted by a nut 124;

Fenders 125 are mounted on stems 126, piv-- oted to the beams by bolts 127, and are arranged between the shovels and the rows of standing corn. 1

Shields 128 129 are fixed to the hubs 22 23 and project above the inner portions of the stub-axles and serve to protect the bearin gs from rain and dirt. 1

In practical operation the draft-animals are attached to the whifiietrees 56 and neck-yoke 1. and the machine is advanced by said animals along the rows of corn to be cultivated and in a position straddling two of the rows.

One of the rows of corn is straddled by and .tical axes, which turningof the wheels results in a movement of the entire machine laterally in the desired direction.

The operator adjusts the depth of cultivation by adjustment of the shovel-stems 1 17 vertically in the eyebolt 118, also bythe adjustment of the chains 79, 80, 81, and 82 on the hooks 83 to lengthen or shorten the supporting portions of said chains, and also in.

some degree by adj ustment' of thechains 90 107 on the hooks 98 114. The operator raises andlowers the plow-beams relative to the soil being cultivated to avoid obstructions or to transport the machine without cultivation by oscillating the levers 94 111. In the operation of the levers 94 111 they must be moved downwardly and laterally to release the hooks thereon from the rack-bars 93 110, and in such lateral movement resilience of the plates 95 112 is set up, which tends to return the levers laterally and engage the hooks thereof with the rack-bars when the manual force is released therefrom.

The cultivator-beams have been described as connected in pairs by the several brackets 86 87 103 104, and the relations of the individuals in each pair are adjusted and determined by adjusting the spread of the lower ends of the brackets, as heretofore described.

The shovels may be adjusted at any desired angle relative to the line of advancement of the machine by rotary movement-of their stems in the eyebolts 118, and in the event of said shovels meeting a forcibleresistance- -such as a stone, root, or stump of material force-they will yield rearwardly, turning the eyebolts in their seats and cans- Duringthe process of cultivating the chains 90 107 hang slack and the, cultivator-beams are supported by the chains 79, 80, 81, and 82, and the retractile coil-springs 78 at the desired elevation predetermined toprovide the desired degree or depth of cultivation, and said cultivator-beams areoscillated laterally in pairs by the feet of the operator engaging in the eyes 101 of the stirrups, the beams swinging from the chainand springs freely and permittingsuch oscillation as may bedesirable to avoid offsetting hills of corn in the rows. t l i Thelocking-detent 45 and its lug 46, en-

gaging the notch in the rib 43 on the angleplate 38 serve to lock the supporting-wheels against rotation on vertical axes and hold said wheels to a true line of advancement until such time as the detent is disengaged by.

manual force applied to the bell-cram k 55 and acting through the chain 54.

I claim as my iuvention- I 1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of theaxle-beam, the brackets 20, 21 mounted on the axle-beam and extending longitudinally therefrom, the bearing-plates 26, 27 mounted on the axle-beam and projecting longitudinally therefrom above the brackets, the hubs journaled in the brackets and bearing-plates on vertical axes, the stub-axles 28, 29 projecting from the hubs, the supportin g-w heels mounted for revolutionon the stubaxles, the crank-arms 32, 33 projecting from the hubs at right angles to the stub-axles, the rods connecting said crank-arms, the angleplate 38 on the axle, the steering-stem mounted for rotation on a vertical axis in bearings fixed to said angle-plate 3,8, the crank on the steerin -stem, connections between the crank on the steering-stem and the connecting-rods, handle-bars on the steering-stem, and means for locking the steering-stem against rotation comprising a crank-arm on the stem, a latch pivoted in the crank-arm, a latch-seat in the ends to the frame, and flexible connections. between the levers and the beams.

3. In a machine of the class described, an

operating-lever, a spring-plate on which said i lever is fulcrumed, a rack-bar and a hook on the lever engaging at times with said rackbar, the spring-plate being so set and arranged as to exert a torsional resilience tending to engage the hook of the lever with the rack-bar.

at. In a machine of the class described, a

cultivator-beam, plates 63, 6a fixed toand projecting forwardly from said beam in parallel planes, apexed flanges 67, 68 inwardly extending from said plates and contacting with each other, a grooved roller mounted between the forward end portions of said plates and a stem suitably supported and extending between the grooved roller and apex of the flanges.

5. In a machine of the class described, a bracket 72 vertically apertured, a bolt traversing said aperture in the bracket, a tube surroundingsaid bolt and contacting with the bracket at one end, a washer on the lower end of said bolt contacting with the lower end of the tube, a collar on the tube, a cultivatorbean1,plates on said cultivator-beam arranged v in parallel planes and provided with approximately circular forward end portions located between the washer and collar on the tube, apexed flanges on the plates engaging the tube and a grooved roller between the plates engaging the tube opposite the flanges.

6. In a machine of the class described, an axle-beam, an angle-plate 38 mounted on said axle-beam, ears 39, 40 rearwardly extending from said angle-plate and vertically apertured, a steering-stem mounted for rotation in the vertical apertures of the ears, handlebars fixed to the upper end of the steeringstem, an arm 44: fixed to and extending for- Wardly from the steering-stem, a rib on the angle-plate notched at its center, a latch pivoted on the armand provided with a lug to engage the notch in the rib, a bell-crank on the handle-bars and a chain connecting the 

